Domaine de la Donneterie et Ferme industrielle de Platé
MonumentHidden Treasure
Domaine de la Donneterie et Ferme industrielle de Platé, located in Neuvy-le-Roi (Indre-et-Loire), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Neuvy-le-Roi, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5748, 0.5717
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00098313
In the heart of the Touraine countryside, the Donneterie estate and its industrial farm at Platé showcase a rare combination of aristocratic rural architecture and 19th-century agricultural innovation.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the Touraine bocage on the northern edge of the Indre-et-Loire department, the Domaine de la Donneterie is one of those discreet heritage sites that dot the countryside of Neuvy-le-Roi, a commune on the doorstep of the Sarthe. Far from the châteaux of the Loire celebrated in the tourist guides, this estate reveals another facet of the Centre-Val-de-Loirien region: that of a large landed estate combining a seigneurial residence and rational farming. What makes the ensemble so special is precisely this duality between the residential estate of La Donneterie - with its outbuildings, enclosing walls and outbuildings typical of a notable Touraine residence - and the industrial farm of Platé, whose very name betrays a modernising ambition. The term "industrial" applied to a farm in the nineteenth century referred to a rationalised operation, with functional buildings, advanced agricultural machinery and an organisation inspired by the precepts of the agronomists of the time. Visiting the estate offers an insight into the rural economy of a France transformed by successive agricultural revolutions. The farm buildings bear witness to a desire for modernisation: barns with vast bays, stables organised according to rational plans, drying sheds and wine presses whose functional architecture contrasts elegantly with the more elaborate volumes of the main building. The rural setting of Neuvy-le-Roi, with its landscapes of hedged farmland and arable farming typical of northern Touraine, envelops the whole property in an unspoilt atmosphere. The tree-lined avenues, blond tufa stone walls typical of the region and slate roofs form a picture that speaks directly to the soul of lovers of France's rural heritage, too often ignored in favour of listed monuments alone.
Architecture
The architectural ensemble of the Domaine de la Donneterie and the Platé farm reflects the building practices of northern Touraine, a region where tuffeau - the soft, white limestone quarried from the slopes of the Loire - is the natural material of choice. The rendered rubble stone or cut tufa walls give the buildings their characteristic hues, ranging from creamy white to pale ochre, depending on exposure and the age of the facing. The main building of La Donneterie is probably the classic example of a notable Touraine residence: a rectangular, two-storey building over cellars, with a gable roof of Anjou slate, flanked by outbuildings arranged in a U or L shape around an enclosed courtyard. The openings with moulded frames and pedimented dormers bear witness to the care taken with the elevation, which distinguishes this residence from simple farm buildings. The Platé industrial farm is the most architecturally original element of the complex. Its functional buildings - barns with long-span frames, stables and cowsheds arranged in a linear fashion, paved courtyards to facilitate carriage traffic - illustrate the principles of rationalised farming promoted by the agricultural schools of the 19th century. The long-sloped roofs covered in flat tiles or slate, the ventilation screens built into the barn walls and the large arched carriage bays are the signature features of this type of sophisticated agricultural architecture, halfway between the utilitarian and the monumental.
Related Figures
Propriétaires nobles de l'Ancien Régime ayant constitué le fonds du domaineBourgeois acquéreurs post-révolutionnaires ayant lancé la modernisation agricoleAgronomes réformateurs du XIXe siècle (Mathieu de Dombasle, influence indirecte)Architectes ou maîtres d'œuvre locaux ayant conçu les bâtiments de la ferme de PlatéMétayers et fermiers ayant exploité le domaine au XIXe et XXe siècles
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Domaine de la Donneterie et Ferme industrielle de Platé located?
Domaine de la Donneterie et Ferme industrielle de Platé is located in Neuvy-le-Roi, Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire region, France.
When was Domaine de la Donneterie et Ferme industrielle de Platé built?
Domaine de la Donneterie et Ferme industrielle de Platé dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Domaine de la Donneterie et Ferme industrielle de Platé open to visitors?
Domaine de la Donneterie et Ferme industrielle de Platé is currently closed to visitors.